


A Special Place

by prettyaveragewhiteshark



Category: Orphan Black (TV)
Genre: F/F, Punky Monkey, mannhaus, science punk
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-29
Updated: 2014-07-29
Packaged: 2018-02-11 00:13:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,216
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2045595
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/prettyaveragewhiteshark/pseuds/prettyaveragewhiteshark





	A Special Place

"Hey. Sleepy head."

The words were the first thing to break through Cosima's haze of sleep. She made a small mumbling sound, exhaling heavily as she rolled over, her eyes flickering open. Sarah was sitting on the edge of the bed, a half-smile on her lips.

"There she is," she said as Cosima blinked, squinting a little against the sunlight. Sarah leaned in and planted a soft kiss on her cheek. 

"Hey," Cosima said groggily. "Is everything okay? What are you doing up?"

Her confusion was genuine; Sarah was the deep sleeper of the two of them and could out-sleep Cosima any day of the week. She was usually the one groaning as Cosima coaxed awake every morning.

Cosima reached over, taking her glasses from the nightstand and sliding them on. She took another look at Sarah, still blinking sleep from her eyes. Sarah had clearly been up for a while; she was fully dressed and looked wide awake. Cosima pushed herself upright; Sarah's hands took their usual place on her shoulder and back to steady her.

"Everything's fine," Sarah said, but there was an unusual lilt of excitement in her voice.

"Do I smell...coffee?" Cosima asked, tucking her chin in consternation. Whether because she didn't know how or because she was never up soon enough to beat Cosima to it, Sarah  _never_  made coffee.

"Oh, yeah, I made some. Thought it would be a nice thing for you to wake up to."

"Right. Yeah, no, totally, it's great," Cosima said, putting a hand on Sarah's leg. She squinted, still trying to get her thoughts in order. "Are you sure everything's okay?"

Sarah rolled her eyes. "Everything's fine, Cos, alright? I just kind of wanted to go out this morning."

"Sarah, it's Sunday."

"I realize that, genius. Just cause I'm not a geek monkey doesn't mean I don't know what day it is."

It was Cosima's turn to roll her eyes. "Alright, so where are we going?"

"Just a special place I wanted to show you."

Cosima smiled slowly, then shrugged, nodding. "Okay, sure. Just let me get changed and we'll go."

Sarah poured a tall thermos of coffee, keeping an eye on Cosima as she got dressed. The dreadlocked clone moved slowly but with a steadiness that Sarah admired. Cosima's strength had been fading lately, but she was characteristically proud, hardly ever asking for assistance. These days, though, she didn't protest the way she used to when Sarah stepped in to help. Sarah tried to ignore the painful squeeze of her heart as Cosima painstakingly pulled on her bright red coat, making sure not to get her oxygen tube caught as she did up the buttons.

Sarah hurriedly put the thermos into a backpack, slinging it over her shoulders and moving to help Cosima down the stairs from the bedroom. When she reached the bottom step, Sarah ducked down and swept Cosima's feet out from beneath her, hefting her in a bridal carry. 

"Woah! Hey there, white knight," Cosima said, holding the back of Sarah's neck to steady herself. "I can still walk, you know."

Sarah managed a smile, trying to hide the dismay she felt as she realized exactly how much weight Cosima had lost, then leaned in and captured Cosima's lips in her own. She heard Cosima draw in a surprised breath at the intensity in Sarah's kiss. It took them a moment to part and when they did, they lingered for a moment, foreheads and noses brushing.

Sarah inhaled deeply, pulling back and looking into Cosima's eyes. The corner of her mouth quirked in a smile.

"I know you can, Cos. I just wanna carry you today, okay?"

Cosima laid her palm on Sarah's cheek. "Okay."

Sarah stooped slightly to grab the handle of Cosima's oxygen tank, "Alright then, let's blow this joint."

She carried Cosima without too much trouble down the stairs and to the car outside. The air was cool but fresh and Cosima rolled the window down a little as they drove, resting her head against the glass. When Sarah pulled into a parking spot, Cosima looked at her curiously.

"A park?"

"Mhm," Sarah said, reaching into the back for a blanket and the backpack. She helped Cosima out on the other side and led her to a wooden bench perched in the grass just short of the sidewalk. 

She sat and Cosima nestled herself in comfortably next to her, leaning against Sarah's chest. Sarah draped the blanket around them both, passing Cosima the thermos.

Cosima unscrewed the cap and took a sip. She licked her lips contemplatively. "Hmm, not bad. I had no idea you even knew how to make coffee."

Sarah scoffed, "Oh, thanks so much. I do have a few basic life skills up my sleeve. I used to fend for myself, you know."

"Ah yes," Cosima agreed, leaning back as Sarah's arms wrapped around her. "Coffee making, one of the vital skills necessary for survival."

Sarah breathed a laugh into Cosima's hair, "Yeah, it's right up there with making fire and building huts out of twigs and mud."

Cosima smiled, drawing patterns across Sarah's palm and fingers with her free hand. They sat quietly for a little while, listening to the sound of cars rushing past on the street in front of them.

"So," Cosima finally said, passing the thermos to Sarah. "You said this place was special?"

Sarah took a long swallow of the warm, dark liquid. "Ah, yeah. Nothing monumental or anything, but me and Fee used to come here when we were kids. We'd count the cars and play this game where if a car was blue, it was his, and if it was red, it was mine. We'd always end up fighting over who had the better cars."

Sarah chuckled at the memory. Cosima shifted slightly to look at Sarah's face, searching her features with a small smile.

"I dunno," Sarah said, her eyes on the passing cars. "It was silly, but I always felt...good here. Not peaceful, necessarily. Just normal. Just like a regular kid with my regular brother, arguing about stupid shit, not really worrying about anything. It's just a good place for me, you know?"

She met Cosima's gaze and the dreadlocked clone smiled at her, her tongue showing just slightly through her teeth.

"Yeah," she said, settling back into Sarah's arms and resting her head on her shoulder. "It is a good place."

They sat together for the better part of the morning, watching the cars fly past them in a steady hum of color and motion, passing the coffee thermos back and forth until it sat empty on the ground beside the bench. They talked about many things and nothing all at the same time, laughter warming the air around them. Sometimes they didn't speak, and instead their fingers danced together, curling in and out of entanglement, tracing patterns across the imprint of lines in the skin. 

"Sarah?"

"Yeah, Cos?"

"Thank you."

"For what?"

Cosima looked up at her. "For this. For the coffee. For carrying me. For bringing me here, sharing all of this with me."

Sarah smiled softly. "Of course, Cos. No one else I'd rather share it with, really."

Cosima nodded, a grin making her mouth go crooked.

"Yeah, same here."


End file.
